Xencor enters Ab optimization deal with Boeh Ingel

US group Xencor, a developer of protein and antibody-based therapeutics, has entered into a collaboration with German privately-owned drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim, which will focus on the optimization of monoclonal antibodies for improved clinical performance. Under the terms of the accord, the German firm will apply Xencor's proprietary XmAb technology platform, including the Fc domains module, to several of its most promising drug candidates in an effort to enhance certain key characteristics, including biological half-life, structural stability and therapeutic efficacy.